No competition with Karnataka's Nandini; to sell milk, curd online only in Bengaluru: Amul chief
New Delhi(PTI): Caught in the political row over market place battle with popular Karnataka brand Nandini, head of the Gujarat-based cooperative selling Amul brand on Tuesday said it will sell milk and curd only through online channels in Bengaluru and there is no competition with Nandini milk which is much cheaper due to the state government subsidy.
Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) MD Jayen Mehta asserted that there cannot be "Amul versus Nandini" scenario as both are co-operatives owned by farmers. GCMMF will sell its Amul products only through e-commerce platforms and there is absolutely no plan of full-fledge entry into Karnataka, he told PTI.
According to him, Amul has been selling fresh milk in two districts of north Karnataka since 2015-16, but "there is no competition" as Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) Nandini milk is much cheaper than Amul because of the subsidy being provided by the state government.
Amul milk is Rs 54 per litre while Nandini milk is Rs 39 per litre only as the state government provides subsidy to farmers, he added.
A political row has erupted after Amul's announcement on April 5 that it will supply milk and curd in Bengaluru. Opposition parties -- Congress and the JD(S) -- have trained their guns at the ruling BJP in the state when the assembly elections are just a month away, expressing fears that the Rs 21,000 crore-Nandini brand, could be merged with Amul.
"There is no question of merger. Both are cooperatives. Amul is owned by farmers of Gujarat and Nandini is owned by farmers of Karnataka. Both of us have been working together not from now but since decades to build India's cooperative dairy industry. This has made India the largest producer of milk in the world," Mehta said.
Mehta, who is currently the MD in charge of GCMMF, emphasised that "there is no threat to Nandini from Amul and vice-versa. Both the co-operatives are working in co-ordination and co-operation with each other".
About the launch of its products in Karnataka, Mehta said the co-operative has been selling fresh milk in Huballi and Dharwad in North Karnataka from 2015-16, although its volume is only 8,000-10,000 litres per day as against around 1.30 lakh litres of milk per day is sold by Nandini in these two districts.
"People are saying that Amul has entered in Karnataka. But we are there from 2015-16 itself," he said, adding that the recent launch of Amul Taaza (toned milk) in Bengaluru is only and only through e-commerce platforms based on customers search data on online platforms.
He also ruled out plans for full-fledge entry into the Southern state as it is "not possible" because of the big price disadvantage.
GCMMF does not have milk processing plants and other infrastructure in Karnataka.
Citing example about the association between the two co-operatives, he said even today Amul ice cream is getting manufactured from Nandini milk and packed in their plants. This association for ice-cream has been in place since 1998.
During 2020-21, when the country was grappling with the coronavirus pandemic,
Mehta said GCMMF had purchased Rs 200 crore worth cheddar cheese from Nandini to support the farmers of Karnataka in view of surplus milk production at that time.
"We also co-operate in many other ways, like giving technical supports," he said.
GCMMF is expecting a 20 per cent growth in its revenue this fiscal to around Rs 66,000 crore on rising demand. It registered a turnover of Rs 55,055 crore in 2022-23, up 18.5 per cent from the previous year.
At present, GCMMF has 98 milk processing plants across the country with an installed capacity of 470 lakh litres per day. On an average, it is collecting 270 lakh litres of milk everyday from farmers.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
